THE HEALTH DIVIDE IN RURAL AUSTRALIA
* Men living in remote areas die 14 years earlier than their city peers, while women die 12 years earlier
* Potentially avoidable deaths in very remote areas are 2.5 times higher in males and 2.8 times higher in females
* Coronary heart disease burden in remote areas is 2.2 times higher
* Chronic kidney disease results in 3.2 times the disease burden in remote areas
* Rural people are 24 times more likely to be hospitalised due to domestic violence
* 44,930 people in remote Australia do not have access to primary healthcare one hour's drive from their homes
* People living in rural Australia utilise Medicare up to half the rate
* There is a rural health funding shortfall of $6.5 billion, or $850 per person
* The prevalence of GPs providing primary care has been reducing in very remote areas, with the Northern Territory having the lowest rate of doctors
* Small rural towns have almost 60 per cent fewer health professionals than major cities
Source: National Rural Health Alliance's rural health in Australia snapshot 2023
